From boring to wow! Take a tour of front yard makeover

“I’ve always had the best flowers and best hanging baskets on the street,” said Melissa, the tenant at 75 Crowley St., Buffalo. But after the staff from Lockwood’s Greenhouses finished the makeover of the front yard, she was happy to see that they had outdone her.

The Front Yard Contest is part of the National Garden Festival in Buffalo. A block facing the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Riverside Park was chosen, and professional landscapers, Master Gardeners and teams from the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy donated their time and materials to give 15 homeowners free front yard makeovers.

You can vote online for your favorite makeover through this Saturday, July 21. The National Garden Festival website also features a blog where you can read profiles of the landscapers and homeowners.

When Melissa came home from work and saw the finished project, “I felt like I needed chest compressions,” she said. “I couldn’t breathe!”

The home is owned by Jay and Mary Ann Woelfle, and Mary Ann had a similar reaction.

“We’re blessed and thankful,” Mary Ann said as she wiped away tears. “It’s just a beautiful thing to be part of.”

While Melissa has a vegetable garden in back, she’s been working 65-hour weeks and hasn’t had much time this year to work in front, so the makeover was especially appreciated.

1 Comment on “From boring to wow! Take a tour of front yard makeover”

Hi Connie! I just got back into town, but wanted to let you know I did see your current posts while I was away. We had limited internet and typing on the phone was not very easy. This was a nice set of articles and wanted to let you know.